In a distant future, the cataclysmic event known as Armageddon has resulted in the emergence of a second "Vampire's" moon. This triggers a fierce war between humans and the "Methuselah," vampires who thrive on human blood.
Esther Blanchett is an orphan raised in the Church of St. Matthias in the city of Istvan. One day, she encounters Abel Nightroad, a priest dispatched by the Vatican to neutralize threats against humanity’s ally. Beneath Abel's unassuming exterior lies his true identity as "The Crusnik"—a vampire who feeds on his own kind and serves as the Vatican's ultimate weapon.
Esther's tranquil life is shattered when her church is bombed and she is betrayed by her sole friend, Dietrich. With nowhere else to turn, she joins forces with Abel and Tres Iqus, a machine disguised as a human, to journey to Rome in search of answers about the destruction of her home. However, their path will be fraught with challenges, including uncovering the mysteries of Abel's past.
Trinity Blood was published in twelve volumes in English by Tokyopop from November 7, 2006, to March 30, 2010. These volumes were later republished digitally by VIZ Media from June 24 to December 30, 2014.
Well, I recently finished reading this manga and truly enjoyed it.
I had already read the novel prior, and Thores' art remains unparalleled for me (at least in Trinity Blood), but Kiyo did an excellent job expressing each character, with artwork that is genuinely pleasing to look at.
The story closely follows the original, yet experiencing it through panels offers a different vibe. Additionally, I adore the shojo hints in certain scenes; it makes the narrative more enjoyable for me since the plot can be quite intense at times.
The ending left me yearning for more. However, having stumbled upon spoilers from some translations of what could have been the remaining novels, I'm actually glad the manga concluded the way it did.
Hey everyone. So I am writing this review because Trinity Blood has been my favorite manga for quite a while. It still amazes me every time I read it!
Before the review, please bear in mind that I don't read this manga online - I buy the books:
I tend to go every year to France, so I purchase around 2 to 3 volumes per year;
They are not expensive - 6,85€ ($7.72) / (£5.37) / (￥804.33) per volume;
The mangas are exactly like the Japanese version - no hardback;
France has the best manga translations; (If you can read French, I highly recommend you check out Kana Editions, and many other manga publishers like Pika, Delcour, Doki Doki, Kaze, Glenat, and many others);
At this very moment, I have 12 volumes, I just read the last chapter (ch.46 "Dans la Ville Blanche" in English "In the White City");
As the manga is still ongoing (vol.19 is already out in Japan), I don't want to rush the purchase.
Now the real deal..
Story:
If you're searching for a new type of vampire story (something not centered on the romance type like Vampire Knight or Karin; nor even the type of Blood +); this is for you! It's not only about life as a vampire; it's about how the whole world lives and deals with a new species among humans; more interesting is HOW vampires came to Earth and what happened in those 900/1000 years before our story.
The story is complex, you have a lot of characters that complement one another, fragments/flashbacks of the past... Also, you will see how the world is divided and what powers rule humans (Terrans) and vampires (Methuselah), but also an alternative organization apart from Terrans and Methuselah...
And the development of human-like machines!
Sci-fi, Gothic, steam-punk, action, supernatural, some good comic relief, and a little spice of romance is what makes this story so good and wanting to read more and more.
Art:
BEAUTIFUL! MAGNIFICENT! The details, the delicacy of everything, especially the eyes, omg those lashes! The floating hair, the outfits - that make the best cosplays (SEARCH FOR TRINITY BLOOD COSPLAY, Good Lords, I have a folder dedicated to that!); facial expressions, backgrounds, everything is splendid - sometimes you'll have to look at the panels for a while to appreciate all details but also how an image can be so strong yet delicate at the same time.
The character designs are amazing; at first, I didn't quite like it, but when I started reading, I began to understand the art, and right now it is my dream to obtain the Artbook "Il Tappeto Rosso" by Shibamoto Thores and the Artbook "Trinity Blood ~rubor~" by Kyujyo Kiyo!!
Characters:
There are so many... and each one complements another character's story.
The main characters:
Abel Nightroad - so many things we are still waiting to discover about you... 900 years of your past. What made you who you are today. I love him so much, he always tries to protect what is dear to him and help those in need - also, he goes from damn good comic relief to freaking scary and damn powerful.
Cardinal Caterina Sforza, Duchess of Milan - I. LOVE. HER! I still don't know much of her past, but just the way she deals with adversities, problems, her grace and beauty, makes me love her so much!
Tres Iquis - He is a machine! A nice one! Loyal dog to Caterina Sforza!
Esther Blanchett - If I had to pick a character based on current events, it would be her. From what I know until now, she is the only one with no "great history of her past," her past story does not complement anyone else's. Still, she is a great and strong young nun, who is still growing up and facing the problems of the world as a member of Caterina's AX organization - from the cosplays I've seen, I already know she is the rightful heir to the throne of Albion...
Other characters (I liked very much until vol.12):
Seth Nightroad aka Augusta Vradica - Empress of the New Human Empire, younger sister to Abel.
Baybares - Duke of Khartoum, chief of the Yeniceri, the Empire's Palace Guard - so strong but soooo cute! :3
Brother Petros Orcini - Knight of Destruction and head of the Department of Inquisition - must love all his power and faith and cuteness towards the Pope! x3
Shéhérazade Al Rahman - Countess of Babylon, niece to Süleyman - Duke of Tigris - She is just the CUTEST EVER, and I cried so much on chapter 45 because of her, she was so kind and strong! T.T (I am going to cosplay her one day!)
Leon Garcia De Asturias - I want him as my father!
Enjoyment:
It's a mixture of everything - depending on the chapter, you might end up laughing or crying or incredulous or amazed... but in a nutshell, you just want to read more and more because the story is so good, you want to know the past, you want to know what will happen, you will be expecting their future, maybe you will be cheering for the Methuselah and condemning the Terrans and their political system and how sometimes the Vatican deals with the Methuselah, maybe not, maybe you will be understanding both parties...; the battles will keep you looking at the panels searching for details and amazed at how characters are strong and what moves them to battle; and the art will just mesmerize you. It's really great!
Overall: 10/10
Everything about this manga is really great. It's a pity that only a volume per year is out since 2009... or not.
One word to define this manga: Mesmerizing.
I hope those who read this manga enjoy it as much as I do, and for those who do, I highly recommend: Buy the books!
If you need any information on publishers for this manga, (English, French, Italian, Spanish...), don't hesitate and send a message!
Thanks for reading!
This manga, Trinity Blood, combines both clichéd and intriguing premises. It depicts a bleak post-apocalyptic future following an assumed World War III, where every country has endured significant losses and changes. Additionally, vampires have emerged in this world, leading to a clear opposition between humanity—now labeled as Terrans—and the vast empire of vampires calling themselves Methuselah. The Vatican State, naturally, has risen to become one of humanity's top political and influential powers, with its representatives forming our main cast of characters.
To be honest, I appreciated the idea of a thrilling political drama about this fictional world and its inhabitants. However, it seems that wasn't the primary goal of this manga. Trinity Blood attempts to appeal to a broad audience by trying to be many things, but in my opinion, it loses its touch in doing so. Story-wise, despite its sophisticated premise and great potential for being an insightful and smart read, it doesn't even try to achieve that. Instead, it incorporates almost every shonen and shoujo cliché imaginable, making it very unappealing.
We see typical shonen elements like characters talking for half an hour during epic fights, and over-the-top, melodramatic dialogues with sobbing characters explaining their feelings with sparkly eyes—a common shoujo trope. The manga is also plagued with bland humor, especially at the beginning, which doesn't help with story exposition or character relatability. We encounter usual tropes like gluttonous appetites, excessive use of sweets, and clumsy cuteness.
As for the art, personally, it's the manga's biggest achievement. It certainly looks good, with highly ornamented clothes and garments uniquely designed for each character. A lot of effort clearly went into this aspect. However, it doesn't do a great job representing the steampunk gothic atmosphere of this world with its serious and dreadful setting of war between vampires and humans. For fans of cute designs, they'll be in heaven—every male character looks like a model from a shoujo manga, and all females are voluptuous and designed for fan service, allowing readers to ogle the pages.
Regarding character personalities, we're hitting rock bottom here. Every single person is very one-dimensional and can be summed up in just one sentence. Perhaps the only exception is Abel, who seems to be a mix of Vash the Stampede from Trigun and Alucard from Hellsing, which didn't quite work well for me. This was the worst part of the manga, completely destroying any thrill or interest in the plot or setting. Characters are set with just two moral views—they either hate the other race and want them dead, or believe everyone is the same and should hold hands and sing songs while dancing over rainbows.
With all these tropes, forgettable characters, and obvious plot conclusions, I can say overall I didn't enjoy it at all. Some arcs are better than others, so I can't verify that everything in this manga is not worthy of your time, but it's incredibly flawed. If you're looking for a shoujo manga with characters lacking depth or substance, sprinkled with shonen fight sequences and pretty gothic outfits, you might enjoy it more than I did.
Can't believe there hasn't been a review for this manga yet.
Anyway, I'm thoroughly enjoying this. Typically, I despise vampire-themed series (like Twilight or Vampire Knight), but this manga barely focuses on romance and instead emphasizes action and plot, which is a significant plus for me (and the minimal romance isn't bad either). There are some intriguing twists on the usual vampire tropes (no sparkling vampires here!) and the pacing of the action keeps me engaged.
The characters are also fantastic. The protagonist, Abel, initially appears clueless and clumsy, providing comic relief, but it soon becomes apparent that he's more than meets the eye. Supporting characters receive some background development too, avoiding the overly simplistic black-and-white portrayals common in other manga. My only complaint is that Esther can be somewhat idealistic and trusting at times, and some villains come off as excessively "evil" to be believable.
The artwork is excellent, as is the storyline. It delves into various interesting themes, political undertones, corruption, and so forth. There's considerable involvement of the Church, tackling issues of morality and values. It's just a really compelling series (with awesome costumes too), so I highly recommend it if you enjoy dark gothic settings, sci-fi, and intense battle scenes.